The Friend Zone

The Friend Zone 

by Abby Jimenez 

5/5 

“I’m a woman. I can go into a bar penniless wearing sweats

and a questionable rash and come out with leftovers and a buzz.”

      Do you ever get a feeling about a book before you even read it? Like you just know you’re going to enjoy it? And then you get crazy excited and can barely even begin reading it because you’re so pumped? Anyone else? When I finally bought this book I was so happy that I was dancing around my kitchen while making my tea, ALL because I knew that when I sat down I could start reading this book. You know sometimes I do that for food too....like a little food dance.. Anyways, this book has been glowing on social media since it’s release, and for good reason too! This book lives up to the hype surrounding it and it’s such a heartwarming intense read that you will not be able to put this book down. I feel like I say that with every book, but you guys I mean it with this book. You get straight addicted, and you need to know what happens to the characters so there is no other option but to read it in one sitting. So be prepared!

     Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
     Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen—especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

      This book like I said is no secret in the book community. Everyone and their mother is talking about it, and yet when I went in to this book I thought I knew what I was signing myself up for. WRONG. From all the buzz around this book you know that it deals with infertility. Now the infertility is a huge part of this book, and I loved how the author made our main female character Kristen so relatable and honestly - human. Let’s start with her! I don’t remember the last time that a female main character made such an impact on me. Not even five chapters in and I knew Kristen was about to become my favorite Heroine of all time. Not only is she witty and sarcastic but she’s smart, an amazing friend, she’s hilarious, and she runs her own successful business. The biggest thing the author did right with Kristen’s character is she made her believable. Not just in the sense of many people being able to relate to her, but a lot of authors try and pull of the personality that Kristen has and most of the time it comes off as too much or even crude. An example is Brooke from Being Brooke. The author tried really hard to make her an independent millennial woman who was sarcastic and super chill, but ultimately she looked obnoxious. Abby Jimenez made Kristen just right!! Kristen isn’t too much, or even not enough. She’s the perfect blend and it just makes her the perfect character. Also quick mention but freaking Stuntman Mike (Her dog) and his cute little shirts, I almost died with how cute and ferocious he was! You now know how much I loved Kristen, so let’s talk about Josh.
       When I first met Josh I was a little hesitant about his character, but once he began working for Kristen building her dog stairs I fell in love with him. Josh Copeland is the ultimate good guy. You want a boy next door Mr. Right type of guy? That’s him. He’s sweet, caring, has dimples, knows how to fix almost anything, a freaking paramedic, and a wonderful friend. I could go on and on about Josh, but really like I said he’s an all around sweet guy. Don’t let that fool you though, his character is still dynamic and flirty as hell and the tension between him and Kristen is steamy as well as hilarious. How can it be funny you ask? Well that brings me to my second favorite part about this book- the relationship.
     Josh and Kristen start off on the wrong side of the road, literally. They continue to butt heads for about five minutes until Kristen realizes there is no hating this guy, at all. When Josh starts working for Kristen is when the tension starts to slowly build. You are teased SO much and all you want is for them to be together. The only problem is.. Kristen has a boyfriend. Don’t worry, there is NO cheating in this book. Does she fall in love with him while having a boyfriend? Yes, but you need to read the book to find out and you’ll understand the type of relationship Kristen and her boyfriend have. Since Kristen has a boyfriend for most of the book, her and Josh are just friends. You see them get to know everything about each other, and really form anything but a friendship. The tension is so tense that you can feel it while reading. Not only do you feel the tension, but you also feel the crazy emotions which brings me to the part of the book that is a main part of the plot. Infertility.
     Some people have said that this author didn’t do the best job representing Infertility, but my question is how can anyone really accurately represent something. Whether it be infertility, autism, bipolar disorder, or really any mental or physical health issue. I say this because each person who has gone through something or has a diagnosis for something goes through a completely different experience then someone else. Two people may have Autism, but both aren’t experiencing the same thing or really the parents and people around them aren’t experiencing the same thing. So when people attack authors and say the representation is horrible I just wonder how they can say that when literally everyone goes through different experiences not jut with themselves, but like I said with the people around them. At the end of this book the author does include an author’s note that tells you this story was based off of one of her closest friends and that her friend actually explained to her exactly what she went through and so the author based Kristen off of her friend (with her permission of course), so I just think that everyone has a different story and there is no right or wrong way to show representation, unless it’s completely obscure and to the point of offensiveness and crudeness, but most of the time it isn’t. Like for example K.A. Tucker got crap for her book Be The Girl. Readers said that she didn’t accurately represent Autism and that no parent would ever treat their child with Autism like that. First of all the parent is just exhausted, and second like I said nobody goes through the same experience. Just like with Abby Jimenez, K.A. Tucker has an author note at the end of her book explaining her own personal experience, so yeah...Rant over!
     Back to the actual book. I think the author did an amazing job. Yes infertility was a major part of this book, but I also felt like it didn’t suffocate you. It was a wonderful balance and I felt like the author wrote this book just right so that everything clicked together and formed a wonderful plot- beginning to end. The only thing I had the slightest grievance with was that Kristen took SO long to tell Josh about her infertility, and I understand why she did wait but I still felt even then it was a little drawn out. We as readers could see how much Josh loved her and knew he wouldn’t care, but Kristen herself couldn’t and when you learn more about her past you understand her reservations and it makes a little more sense. So yeah, other then that the book was an easy five stars. Like I said though you go into this book expecting it to be a little emotional because of the issue of infertility and yeah it is, but this author throws you through a GIANT ass emotional loop. I had no idea that ending was coming, I just didn’t. I could have never expected it an yet I loved it. I was devastated, but I felt like the author did what she did as a test for the characters. A test to where each one of them was able to prove themselves and really just a way to give the characters an ending and a way to tie things up. Because once Kristen does tell Josh about the infertility, things get rocky and you have no idea how the author is going to meld everything together. Don’t even try and guess because you’ll never be able to! I will say the ending was very fitting of Josh and Kristen and I not only cried tears of sadness but also happiness, and I was SO glad that they both got the ending they deserved. Thank you Abby Jimenez for giving us wonderful characters like Josh and Kristen, and a story that I’m sure will touch many hearts ! It’s the perfect summer read, I highly suggest picking it up. Don’t let the emotions scare you away, because really 90% of this book I was laughing my butt off! Give it a chance and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed! I don’t think I’ve read a debut novel this good since The Hating Game! If you did read this book and loved it you should check out The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker!